Nowhere to turn for victims of Maskan Chowrangi blast

With building brought down, residents await alternative housing, transparent probe

Over a week has passed since an explosion ripped through Allah Noor Apartments at Maskan Chowrangi, claiming seven lives. Now, demolition teams are bringing down the flats that were destroyed by the massive blast - ostensibly caused by a gas leak. But those who called the building home claim the government has still not offered them any compensation or even alternative accommodation.

Following the blast, the area was taped off before the Sindh Building Control Authority's (SBCA) contractor brought the apartments on the ground and first floors crashing down with the help of heavy machinery. The upper floors are reportedly to be torn down manually by labourers.

Amid the debris, under the open sky, lie the possessions of the apartment residents, who have been forced to take shelter with their relatives, in the absence of any other options. Two of the affected families, however, have been shifted into vacant apartments by the building management.

"No announcement for our aid or relief has been made by the provincial government," claimed Masroor Raza, who resided on the third floor and escaped the blast with a fractured leg. "No one has told us whether or not the building will even be rebuilt."

Appreciating other residents for welcoming the affectees into their homes, he said the apartment administration too had cooperated and given them a temporary place to stay. "But this is not a permanent solution. The government should provide us a permanent home," he pleaded.

Raza further called for the government to conduct a transparent investigation into the blast, including the management of the private bank branch on the ground floor where the explosion reportedly occurred on October 21.

"No one has cooperated with us. No one has come to our aid," complained Iffat, another resident, expressing her belief that the blast was not caused by a gas leak, as declared. "There were no flames, no fire when it happened. There was only dust."

Aijazul Haq, who too lived in the building, concurred. "I was at a distance from the building when the explosion occurred. It didn't look like the injured had been wounded in by a gas cylinder blast," he maintained. "I don't understand. How could authorities give the building a clearance certificate by declaring a gas leak as the cause? The bank management, Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) and the Sindh government should compensate victims for their losses."

Syed Askari, the building's general secretary, told The Express Tribune he arrived at the chaotic scene a mere 10 minutes after the incident. "The blast occurred in the bank, but there was no sign of any gas, any cylinders, any stench. The government must investigate the matter," he asserted.

According to him, they had reached out to all relevant authorities, including the provincial chief minister, local government minister and SBCA officials. None, he claimed, had responded. "We have only two demands: that the government rebuild the apartments and that it conduct a transparent investigation."

Terming the lack of aid and compensation 'unfortunate,' the building's former union president Mumtaz Zaidi claimed that food centres on the ground floor used gas cylinders in their kitchens. "The residents have reservations about this," he stated, adding that the SSGC should give them utility connections to address the risk.

*With additional input from Ehtesham Mufti

Published in The Express Tribune, October 30^th, 2020.